Zenna de Sacha

Dear all,

Our great friend Zenna has departed to dog heaven. She had been ill for a while, had stopped eating and was very much weakened.

Over the past few weeks, she said goodbye to everyone in her own unique way – this was so very moving. For several evenings, we performed a fire ceremony by her basket. That, and satsang, were the highlights of her existence throughout her life. One day, during Havan, Zenna turned her back to the fire. It was enough, she let us know.

She came to satsang until her very last evening; until the day of her passing, she came to our coffee-gathering in Medha. And then it was over.

We brought her body to the Havan house, accompanied by our cat Sufi and countless butterflies. The next morning we performed a fire ceremony for her and then buried her behind the Havan house, covered in rose petals.

For as long as we have been at La Roseraie de Sacha she has been a companion for hundreds of people. Her whole life she was just giving; she didn’t even know what that was. She was simply there, completely herself, completely Zenna. Everyone loved her, and she loved everyone.

In her younger years, we realised that it wasn’t easy for her to have her tribe broken up and renewed every week. On Sunday mornings, people leave after a retreat, and in the evening, a new group arrives. That caused her some unrest. So we decided to take her to the gate to greet people as they arrived. That went well and settled her.

She had a wonderful life. How she enjoyed playing in the lakes, in the river, fetching big branches, diving for stones. At every party, she joined in enthusiastically and tore up the wrapping paper with the greatest pleasure. What dog gets to do all that!

We will miss her enormously, but she has captured a large place in all our hearts. And it is here where we can always find her again.

Lots of love from all of us in La Roseraie de Sacha,
Prajnaparamita